SOUTH BELOIT — What do Jeff Gordon, Bobby Labonte and Aryn Wilson have in common?

All three are race car drivers that started off competing in the Quarter Midget Racing series at a young age. Wilson is not yet famous but is making quite a name for herself as a 15-year-old on the track this season.

Last week’s third-place finish in Waterford, Michigan, moved Wilson to third overall in points in the Midwest Thunder Series, which comprises nine tracks in Ohio, Indiana and Michigan. That is the highest placement she has earned since she started to compete in the series in 2012.

“I really liked the chance to get a trophy,” said Wilson, who will be a sophomore at Hononegah High School next fall. “I want to keep doing good because I like it (racing) and winning trophies a lot.”

Aryn discovered her love for racing cars at age 8 after her family moved from South Beloit to Blacksburg, Virginia, seven years ago.

“You are either racing or watching cars,” her father, Scott Wilson, said. “I took her over to a track in North Carolina and the kids can do a try-and-ride. It’s $20 for 10 laps. Up until that point, the only thing she had driven was an electric Barbie Jeep. After she came back into the pit and got out, she says, “I want to do that.”

Today, the family, which includes her mom, Trisha, and twin sister, Amber, serve as the pit crew for Aryn, while dad is the crew chief.

Three years ago, the family relocated back to South Beloit because of Scott’s job change. They had to find a new track for Aryn, who is now a member of the Little Kalamazoo Quarter Midget Association in Kalamazoo, Michigan. That home track is about four and half hours away, and they drive up at least twice a month to compete or practice.

“The biggest expense is the travel,” Scott Wilson said. “It’s not the equipment. It’s out-of-pocket because not many kids at this age get sponsorships.”

Despite the expense, the family is pleased that Aryn has finally found something she enjoys doing. Prior to racing, she had tried tennis, softball, basketball and a variety of other sports.

“It was slow at first,” Trisha said. “There were a lot of frustrations because there was so much practice going to it. She felt like it was pulling her away from her friends and she was still at that time into dolls and stuff, but three years in, she became more devoted and now she knows more about the cars than we do.”

Page 2 of 2 - Safety is an important part of Quarter Midget Racing, which is typically restricted to drivers ages 5 to 16. The cars are about one quarter the size of a full-size midget car. All drivers wear SFI rated suits, shoes, racing helmets, Hans or Hutchens devices and a five-point belting system.

This season, Aryn is racing in the Heavy Honda and Heavy 160 classes with several appearances in the senior animal class. Along with competing in the Midwest Thunder Series, Aryn also does the Quad Cities Series that includes regional and national events. Next year, she will move up to either the Legends or the Allison Legacy Series, which also has a Midwest division and has races at the Rockford Speedway.

Aryn said she wouldn’t mind racing professionally someday.

“A lot of people would know me and others might want to do it too,” she said.